WEEK 6 CONFERENCE NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – The final four Sun Belt programs—Georgia State, Old Dominion, Texas State and Troy—will open conference action in Week 6, including Troy hosting in-state rival South Alabama in the Battle for the Belt rivalry.
Two teams—App State and ULM—will step out of conference action for first-ever matchups with non-conference foes.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- FIRST TIMERS – After early conference openers, App State and ULM will step out of Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Mountaineers will host Oregon State at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+, while the Warhawks will visit Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Both matchups are the first-ever between the two programs.
- DUKES DEFENSE — Fresh off a conference-opening victory over Georgia Southern, James Madison will hit the road to take on another Peach State opponent at Georgia State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, on ESPN+. The Dukes own an unblemished 4-0 record in the all-time series. Saturday’s matchup will feature 2-of-32 student-athletes in the country averaging 1.25-or-more tackles for loss per game in James Madison senior linebacker Trent Hendrick (1.25) and Georgia State redshirt junior linebacker Josiah Robinson (1.25). Hendrick is a key cog in the elite James Madison defensive unit that leads the Sun Belt and ranks among the Top 25 nationally in total defense (3rd, 209.3 yards per game), first downs defense (3rd, 48 first downs allowed), passing yards allowed (4th, 118.8 yards per game), sacks (12th, 3.25 sacks per game) and scoring defense (22nd, 15.3 points per game).
- STATE VS. STATE – Arkansas State, which owns a 7-5 advantage in the all-time series, will host Texas State at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, on ESPNU. The Red Wolves are 5-1 all-time at home against the Bobcats, but have dropped four of the past five head-to-head matchups, including their lone loss in Jonesboro. Four of the Sun Belt’s top six scorers will be on display in the matchup, with Texas State boasting three of those performers in redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson (7.5 points per game), junior wide receiver Beau Sparks (7.5 points per game) and redshirt sophomore kicker Tyler Robles (7.3 points per game). Arkansas State junior Clune Van Andel (6.2 points per game) joins his counterpart among the top six scorers in the conference.
- IN THE RED AREA – The Sun Belt’s top two red zone defenses will square off when Coastal Carolina travels to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, on ESPN+. The Monarchs own the nation’s No. 8 red zone defense (.643), with the Chanticleers not far behind at No. 16 in the country (.722). The Chanticleers defense will look to slow down a Monarch offense that leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 22 in the country in total offense at 468.3 yards per game. The OId Dominion defense will face a Coastal Carolina offense at the other end of the Sun Belt spectrum, averaging 292.8 yards per game. The teams have split the all-time head-to-head series 2-2, with Coastal Carolina winning a pair of one-possession games in 2023 and 2024. An Old Dominion win would give the team its best start since 2012, when it opened 5-0 and finished 11-2.
- THE BATTLE FOR THE BELT – Troy will host in-state rival South Alabama in this year’s Battle for the Belt rivalry game in the Sun Belt nightcap at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, on ESPN+. The Trojans lead the all-times series 9-4, including winning six of the last seven matchups and three-straight in Troy. South Alabama snapped a six-game head-to-head skid with a 25-9 win in Mobile a year ago. Troy will rely on its stingy defense—which has allowed just 69 total first downs and 318.3 yards per game this season—to slow down a multi-faceted South Alabama attack that features the Sun Belt leader in receiving yards in graduate student wide receiver Devin Voisin (8th, 457 receiving yards) and rushing touchdowns in senior running back Kentrel Bullock (23rd, 5 rushing touchdowns).
WHERE TO WATCH
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